Ambassador Bridge Launches New Toll Payment System to Streamline Commercial Traffic

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The Detroit International Bridge Co., owners of the Ambassador Bridge, today announced a new payment system to streamline commercial traffic across the busiest international border crossing in North America.

“Being the busiest commercial border crossing in North America, it is essential that we continue facility and operational enhancements to go beyond our obligation in supporting the U.S. and Canadian economies,” says Randy Spader, manager of operations for the Ambassador Bridge.

Spader says the new system from Bestpass Inc. will provide a single-source payment and streamlined toll management services to commercial fleets. Commercial customers will be able to set up a Bestpass account and pay tolls directly through the system.

“We are very excited to have Bestpass as a payment management option for our more than 7,400 commercial customers who use the Ambassador Bridge daily,” Spader says. “Our Electronic Tolling System has allowed us to continue (providing) efficiency in minimizing border processing times when using the Ambassador Bridge to cross between U.S. and Canada.”

​ A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the region and $13 billion in annual production depend on the Ambassador Bridge. It is the busiest international crossing in North America in terms of trade volume, with more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada crossing the bridge.

Founded in 2001 by the New York State Motor Truck Association, Bestpass provides bulk purchasing and streamlined toll management services to commercial fleets, including consolidated billing, violation processing,  and a single service compatible with a growing number of toll facilities and weigh station bypass networks.

Currently, Bestpass customers have more than 250,000 pieces of equipment and more than 170,000 transponders in service, resulting in more than $30 million in tolls processed monthly.